Trinity Rodman-Inspired Rule Change Passed by NWSL Amid Rumors on Contract, Future

With the contract situation surrounding Trinity Rodman and the Washington Spirit continuing to make headlines, the NWSL implemented and moved forward with its planned High Impact Player (HIP) rule despite opposition from the NWSL Players Association.

The league announced Tuesday the HIP rule would give teams the ability to spend as much as $1 million outside of the salary cap on star players who meet "commercial or sporting criteria."

It also explained the $1 million threshold can increase on a year-by-year basis at the same rate as the salary cap. The additional money can be spent on one player or multiple players as long as the cap charge of the HIP player is at least 12 percent of the base salary cap.

According to the league's announcement, such a rule "reflects a historic increase in league investment" with plans to increase money being spent on players up to $16 million next year and with the potential to create investment of up to $115 million over the course of the current collective bargaining agreement.

However, the NWSL Players Association quickly released a statement in the aftermath of the announcement that expressed a clear opposition to the rule.

"Under federal labor law, changes to compensation under the salary cap are a mandatory subject of bargaining—not a matter of unilateral discretion," the statement said in part. "Fair pay is realized through fair, collectively bargained compensation systems, not arbitrary classifications.

"A league that truly believes in the value of its Players would not be afraid to bargain over it.

"The NWSLPA has put forward a clear, lawful alternative: raising the Team Salary Cap to compete in a global labor market."

This rule was implemented with the Rodman situation looming over the league and after headliner stars Alyssa Thompson and Naomi Girma departed earlier this year and joined Chelsea in England for transfers of more than $1 million.

ESPN's Jeff Carlisle noted Rodman is at a "contract impasse" with her deal set to expire at the end of December. The NWSL also rejected a proposed contract between Rodman and the Spirit because it said the deal violated the "spirit" of the CBA's rules.

The NWSL Players Association responded by filing a grievance on Rodman's behalf earlier this month that called the contract legal.

Rodman is one of the faces of the league and has been with Washington since she was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 draft. She helped lead the team to the NWSL championship in her rookie season and is a star for the United States Women's National Team.

Rodman, Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson headlined a dominant attack as the Americans won the gold medal in the 2024 Olympics, and the 23-year-old could be one of the faces of United States soccer for seasons to come.